Moving to Oregon from California
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from California to Oregon — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from California to Oregon, you would find that Oregon is 22.3% cheaper than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $58,300 in Oregon to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Portland averages 56°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly cooler. Los Angeles and Portland are about 830 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Oregon? Get a shortlist of towns in Oregon that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Oregon cheaper than California?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 15.7% less
Groceries
pay 17.0% less
Transportation
pay 11.8% less
Housing
pay 31.3% less
Childcare
pay 39.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.7% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Oregon?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $58,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Oregon
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Oregon cost about 29% less than cities in California.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from California to Oregon.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
California generally does better on safety, though Oregon leads in violent crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Oregon performs significantly better than California across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Oregon leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
California generally does better on employment & economy, though Oregon leads in poverty rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
California generally does better on family life, though Oregon leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Oregon vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 36°/18°F (2°/-8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 63°/44°F (17°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 76°/56°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 48°/30°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Portland |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.4°/-10.3°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 35°/16°F (1.4°/-8.7°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.9°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 53°/35°F (11.8°/1.5°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 64°/44°F (17.5°/6.8°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 73°/54°F (22.9°/12.0°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 79°/59°F (26.0°/15.2°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 78°/58°F (25.4°/14.6°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 70°/50°F (21.1°/10.2°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 59°/39°F (14.8°/3.8°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 48°/31°F (8.9°/-0.6°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 37°/20°F (2.9°/-6.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Oregon than California?
Yes — Oregon is on average about 22% cheaper than California. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Oregon?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $14,575 in Oregon on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Oregon safe?
California generally does better on safety, though Oregon leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Oregon compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Oregon leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Oregon compared to California?
The average high temperature in Portland is 56°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Portland receives around 47.2 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
